Imagine yourself on the trip of your dreams: a palm-ringed island, the beauty and history of Paris, the intoxicating allure of the Napa Valley. Now imagine that with only a pen, a camera and a little curiosity, all of these incredible travel destinations are within your reach.

Sign up today for Great Escape’s free newsletter, The Right Way to Travel, and you’ll learn how to get the most out of every trip – and how to get paid to do it.

Simply enter your name and email address in the form below and you’ll receive your first issue, along with our Five Fun Ways to Get Paid to Travel quick-start guide, absolutely free. Inside, you’ll find 5 exciting opportunities for earning extra income while exploring cities around the globe. It’s your first step to a life of fun and freedom.

Fill out the form today and you’ll be one step closer to a new part- or full-time income that can help you realize your travel dreams. And don’t worry – we will never rent, sell or give away your email address for any reason. We’ll see you out there!

The secret to happiness is play

Posted on February 5, 2014

“Play lies at the core of creativity and innovation.” – Stuart Brown, MD Well, you’re going to be very glad to know we’ve uncovered the secret to happiness. That’s a bold statement, but I stand by it. In fact, it’s what I’ve been preaching to our workshop attendees and readers for years now. The secret to happiness is PLAY. And now there’s scientific evidence proving it: Play is one of the most valuable things you can do for your health, your longevity, your happiness. And anyone can do it! It comes naturally since it’s in our genetic makeup… Like sleeping or breathing, playing at its core can happen without even thinking about it! The problem is… as adults, we too often suppress play from our lives because it seems childish or frivolous. But I’m here to help you break that bad habit. Because incorporating play into your life will definitely make you happier and healthier… and maybe even wealthier. According to Dr. Stuart Brown, author of Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul: “The act of play itself may be outside of ‘normal’ activities. The result [of play] is that we stumble upon new behaviors, thoughts, strategies, movements, or ways of being. We see things in a different way and have fresh insights.” Play allows our mind to open to a world of possibilities. If you add play into your daily or weekly routine, you will soon find that even the chores and mundane activities that litter your life don’t seem as difficult or boring. You won’t dread them anymore because you’ll be living a more purposeful, pleasurable life. But, I must clarify – by play, I don’t mean competitive play. That’s what we’re used to as adults… a competitive game of chess… a round of golf … a game of hoops at the gym. It’s not really “play,” though, if there’s stress or anxiety involved. If all you’re thinking about is beating your opponent or upping your best score. Instead, play needs to be something totally stress-free… something you really enjoy doing in life. Some people love horseback riding… it makes them feel free, allows them to lose all inhibitions and just ride… Others get lost in a canvas… finding pleasure through painting or drawing beautiful landscapes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people love the feeling of a bungee free-fall. The wind whipping at their face as they plunge into the unknown, tethered to a bridge or cliff with only a rope and a prayer. For me, it’s photography. It brings me so much joy to look at a picture of my daughter in the snow… her pigtails sticking out of her stocking cap and her pink nose scrunched in laughter. I’ll have that memory forever thanks to a photo I created. The same goes for my images of flying lanterns in Thailand. It was such an inspiring and emotional experience for me to travel and take pictures there… I am so grateful I got to capture the moment with a camera in hand. Photography is how I like to play. And if you’re one of our readers, it’s most likely one of your play landscapes, too. Let’s use it to live the life we deserve… a life of happiness and fulfillment in everything we do. Share on Facebook

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]

Imagine yourself on the trip of your dreams: a palm-ringed island, the beauty and the history of Paris, the intoxicating allure of the Napa Valley. Now imagine that with only a pen, a camera and a little curiosity, all of these incredible travel destinations are within your reach.

Sign up today for our free newsletter, The Right Way to Travel, and you’ll learn how to get the most out of every trip – and how to get paid to do it.

Simply enter your name and email address in the form below and you’ll receive your first issue, along with our Five Fun Ways to Get Paid to Travel quick-start guide, absolutely free. Inside, you’ll find 5 exciting opportunities for earning extra income while exploring cities around the globe. It’s your first step to a life of fun and freedom.

Fill out the form today and you’ll be one step closer to a new part- or full-time income that can help you realize your travel dreams. And don’t worry – we will never rent, sell or give away your email address for any reason. We’ll see you out there!